Year: 2012

Cultural Anthropology

Anthropological Concept of Culture

Anthropological Concept of Culture According to Ferraro and Andreatta,  the concept of culture in Anthropology is, “everything that people have, think, and do as members of a society.”    They reference three main points being possessions, beliefs, and patterns of behavior….

Cultural Anthropology

Emic vs Etic Approaches to Cultural Anthropology

Emic vs Etic Emic Approach A method of ethnography that uses concepts and categories relevant to the culture being studied Etic Approach A method of ethnography which uses concepts and categories of the anthropologist doing the research’s culture to describe…

Cultural Anthropology

Different Types of Research in Cultural Anthropology

Types of Research in Cultural Anthropology There is two types research in cultural anthropology, applied research and problem-oriented or basic research. Applied Anthropology The application of anthropological methods, knowledge, and theory towards the better understanding of issues that arise in…

Cultural Anthropology

Cultural Relativism is Important to Cultural Anthropology

Cultural Relativism Cultural relativism is seeing a culture seen from the viewpoint from within the context of the culture itself.  This practice is used to have a better understanding of why and how the people of the culture have developed…

Cultural Anthropology

Ethnocentric Reactions in Cultural Anthropology

Ethnocentric Reactions in Cultural Anthropology Cultural Anthropology shows that incidents of ethnocentrism are far reaching through all societies.  Ethnocentrism occurs when one views another’s culture from the viewpoint of one’s own culture.  It seems that ethnocentrism is far spread due to the lack…

Cultural Anthropology

Cultural Anthropology’s Principles

Cultural Anthropology’s Principles There are four main principles that guide cultural anthropology as a field. Cross-culturalism A perspective that sees the world as an interdependent, interconnected system of global cultures Cultural relativism Traits of a given culture are best comprehended…

Cultural Anthropology

Specialization in Cultural Anthropology

Specialization in Cultural Anthropology There are five areas of specialization in cultural anthropology. Development anthropology Environmental anthropology Medical anthropology Psychological anthropology Urban anthropology

Anthropology

Ethnography vs Ethnology

Cultural Anthropology – Ethnography vs Ethnology Cultural anthropology is the scientific study of cultures and how they are different or similar from each other all around the world.  To gain a better understanding of what cultural anthropology is, one must understand ethnography and ethnology….

Cultural Anthropology

Four Branches of Linguistic Anthropology

There are Four Branches of Linguistic Anthropology In Linguistic Anthropology, there are four branches or subfields: Descriptive linguistics Studies the structure of language Ethnolinguistics Studies how languages and cultures are related Historical linguistics Studies how languages change on a linear scope and how…

Cultural Anthropology

Why Archaeologists Do What They Do in Archaeology

Archaeologists study the way humans lived from analyzing excavated artifacts.  Archaeology’s main purpose is to provide insight into cultural adaptations of humankind’s ancient cultures by attempting to reconstruct the culture through excavated artifacts. There are three main types of excavated artifacts that…